Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Former U.S. champion arrested on drug charges

Former U.S. champion Nicole Bobek has been charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, the Jersey Journal reported Monday.

Working with the Bayonne, New Jersey, police force, the Hudson County prosecutor's office announced it had uncovered a distribution network selling $10,000 worth of the drug each week. The 31-year-old Bobek was one of more than a dozen people arrested.

"She played a significant role in this operation," Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio is quoted as saying. "She was actively involved in the upper echelon of this ring."

A long-legged, blue-eyed blonde, Bobek was something of a bombshell on the ice, exuding charisma and playful elegance. Her signature move, a stunning, fully extended spiral, is widely credited with inspiring other skaters of her generation to improve their spiral sequences.

In 1995, Bobek won the U.S. title, upsetting the favored Michelle Kwan. She went on to capture the bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships.

Even with this success, there were rumblings: Bobek's coach that season, Richard Callaghan, was the latest in a seemingly countless series, and prior to the U.S. Championships, she was charged with stealing money from a friend's house. After legal maneuvering, she was eventually granted a probation discharge.

"I guess you could say I'm a free spirit," Bobek said around that time.

Bobek never repeated her 1995 success. The following season, she withdrew from the U.S. Championships with an injury and was not granted a bye to worlds. In 1997, she won the U.S. bronze medal and competed at worlds, placing 13th after another of her coaches, Carlo Fassi, died at the championships.